Outbound call rules routing

ABSTRACT

An AIN service for provides a subscriber the ability to configure outbound call routing rules. Using telecommunications variables such as time of call, call busy status, call unanswered status, and numbers dialed, a subscriber is enabled to configure a service control point to perform an action such as forward a call, send a page with a message, use a dial-around number, or send a PIN. A web browser interface may be used by the subscriber to configure the SCP.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of telecommunications.More particularly, the present invention relates to a call routingservice that enables subscribers to configure how outgoing calls arerouted.

2. ACRONYMS

[0002] The written description provided herein contains acronyms thatrefer to various telecommunications services, components and techniques,as well as features relating to the present invention. Although some ofthese acronyms are known, use of these acronyms is not strictlystandardized in the art. For purposes of the written description herein,the acronyms are defined as follows:

[0003] Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN)

[0004] Application Program Interface (API)

[0005] Central Office Exchange Service (CENTREX)

[0006] Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA)

[0007] Customized Dialing Plan (CDP)

[0008] Direct Inward Dial (DID)

[0009] Direct Outward Dial (DOD)

[0010] End Office (EO)

[0011] File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

[0012] Graphical User Interface (GUI)

[0013] Generic Data Interface (GDI)

[0014] Initial Address Message (IAM)

[0015] Off Hook Delay (OHD)

[0016] Outbound Call Rules Routing (OCRR)

[0017] Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)

[0018] Specific Digit String (SDS)

[0019] Service Control Point (SCP)

[0020] Service Node/Intelligent Peripheral (SN/IP)

[0021] Service Switching Point (SSP)

[0022] Signaling System 7 (SS7)

[0023] Signaling Transfer Point (STP)

3. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

[0024] Caller's using a public switched telephone network (PSTN) arelimited in their ability to route outbound calls. It is typical for asubscriber to only have the outgoing call options of selecting a local,local toll, and long distance carrier, and blocking particular outgoingcall numbers when initially subscribing to a telecommunications service.Beyond these options, a caller has little to no flexibility on how acall is routed, unless the subscriber subsequently contacts thetelecommunications provider and requests changes be made to thesubscriber's service. Even in this case, a caller is limited to changinglocal, toll, and long distance carriers and selecting outgoing numbersto block. These modifications may be done only so many times and at alimited frequency before it becomes a nuisance to the caller and thetelecommunications company. While it is possible to use dial-aroundcodes to access different long distance carriers, this too could beburdensome to a caller over time and again, is limited to only longdistance service modifications.

[0025] Moreover, in today's busy, information age world, it is notuncommon for individuals to have several means by which they arereachable by a communications device such as a telephone, mobile phone,or pager—each of these devices having a separate number. Keeping trackof these numbers and the access codes that may be associated with thesedevices can be very burdensome to a caller. To make matters moredifficult, a party to which the caller is trying to contact may have adifferent device or number by which they are reachable depending on thetime of day, day of week, day of year, or specific date.

[0026] Further adding to a caller's burden, a caller may have access toseveral telecommunications services, via dial-around numbers, thatprovide different cost savings depending on the number dialed; the calltype (e.g., local, local toll, and long distance); and time of call(e.g., time of day, day of week, day of year, and specific date). Totake advantage of optimal cost savings given today's telecommunicationssystems, a caller must be able to calculate which telecommunicationsservice to use given the number dialed, the call type, and time of thecall. This, too, is often a burden to a caller who may not have the timeor information readily available to make the calculations.

[0027] Moreover, even if the caller is able to remember all thisinformation, make the necessary calculations, and enter the appropriatenumbers into the caller's communications device, it may be the case thatthe called party is unreachable at the number initially dialed (e.g.,the line is busy, the called party doesn't answer, or an answeringmachine answers). If this is the case, the caller may have to go throughthe same process over and over again; the caller dialing numbersrepeatedly until the caller reaches the called party or simply gives up.This can be especially annoying and unsafe if the caller is driving oris in some other precarious situation.

[0028] Today, communication devices come programmable enabling callersto program strings of numbers to be associated with a particular callrecipient via keypad or voice input systems. Some telecommunicationsservice providers also offer these services. With these devices andservices, a caller has the convenience of number storage and speeddialing. However, such devices and services are not programmable toselect which numbers to use given the time of day, day of week, day ofyear, or specific date. Nor are such devices capable of determiningwhich telecommunications service (e.g., long distance service) to usegiven the time of the call, the number dialed, or the call type.Furthermore, these devices and services are unable to determine what todo when a called party is unreachable at a particular number. Moreover,such devices and services are cumbersome to program given almost allprogramming is by means of a dialing pad or voice input system.

[0029] Communications using today's telecommunications systems can becumbersome to a caller since the systems simply do not allowsubscriber's to configure their outgoing call options based on thefollowing variables that are common to each outgoing call: Numberdialed, the call disposition (e.g., busy, unanswered, answering servicereached, and the call is disconnected by the subscriber ortelecommunications system), and the time of the call.

[0030] The present invention overcomes the problems associated with theprior art, as described below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The present invention is further described in the detaileddescription that follows, by reference to the noted drawings by way ofnon-limiting examples of embodiments of the present invention, in whichlike reference numerals represent similar parts throughout several viewsof the drawings, and in which:

[0032]FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing an exemplary telecommunicationsnetwork for implementing outbound call rules routing, according to anaspect of the present invention;

[0033]FIG. 2 is an exemplary flow diagram showing how a service controlpoint processes routing instructions, according to an aspect of thepresent invention;

[0034]FIG. 3 is an exemplary display that a user may use to inputrouting rules to an SCP, according to an aspect of the presentinvention;

[0035]FIG. 4 is an exemplary call flow diagram in which a call isforwarded, according to an aspect of the present invention;

[0036]FIG. 5 is an exemplary call flow diagram in which a call isforwarded when a communications line is busy, according to an aspect ofthe present invention;

[0037]FIG. 6 is an exemplary call flow diagram where a dial aroundnumber is used, according to an aspect of the present invention;

[0038]FIG. 7 is an exemplary call flow diagram in which a page isinitiated when a call is unanswered, according to an aspect of thepresent invention;

[0039]FIG. 8 is an exemplary call flow diagram in which a PIN is used toaccess a system, according to an aspect of the present invention;

[0040]FIG. 9 is an exemplary call flow diagram in which an answeringservice is reached and a call is subsequently forwarded to a third partydevice, according to an aspect of the present invention; and

[0041]FIG. 10 is an exemplary call flow diagram in which a subscriber'sSCP routing table is updated, according to an aspect of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0042] The present invention relates to an outbound call-routing (OCRR)service provided by an advanced intelligent network (AIN) that resolvesthe previously identified problems. The invention provides a subscriberthe ability to configure outbound call routing rules using variablescommon to a call such as the dialed number, call disposition, and time.With the OCRR service, a subscriber is enabled to configure a servicecontrol point which instructs a switch and/or service node/intelligentperipheral (SN/IP) to perform an action such as forward a call, send apage, use a dialing prefix (e.g. a dial-around number), disallow a call,or prompt for a PIN. A web browser interface may be used by thesubscriber to configure the service control point.

[0043] In view of the above, the present invention through one or moreof its various aspects and/or embodiments is presented to accomplish oneor more objectives and advantages, such as those noted below.

[0044] In an embodiment of the invention, a system performs outboundcall control using a subscriber's outbound call rule information using aservice control point and a switch. The SCP receives and stores outboundcall rule information and sends at least one SCP control message basedon action information when a switch message is received and a conditionbased on condition information is met. The stored outbound call ruleinformation is configurable by a subscriber and includes at least onerule. Each rule includes a portion of the action information and aportion of the condition information. The condition information includesat least one condition related to a time, date, or a call disposition.The switch sends a switch message in response to a call being placed.The switch, additionally, receives the SCP control message, andinitiates an action based on the action information.

[0045] According to an aspect of the embodiment, the system thatperforms outbound call control using the subscriber's outbound call ruleinformation may include condition information which includes at leastone condition related to at least a portion of a number dialed.Moreover, the system may include action information includinginformation related to forwarding the call to a number other than adialed number. Furthermore, the system may include action informationincluding information related to submitting a PIN number. The system mayalso include action information including information related to sendinga page to a paging device. Moreover, the system may include actioninformation including information related to disallowing the call.Furthermore, the system may include action information includinginformation related to prepending at least one prefix number to a dialednumber sequence. Still further, the action information may include aprefix number including dial-around code information.

[0046] According to another aspect of the embodiment, the system mayinclude call rule information, wherein, at least one rule includes morethan one action. The system may also include call rule information,wherein, at least one rule includes more than one condition. Moreover,the system may also include outbound call rule information includingmore than one rule.

[0047] In another embodiment of the invention, a method performsoutbound call control using a subscriber's outbound call ruleinformation including receiving outbound call rule informationconfigured by a subscriber. The method further including storing theoutbound call rule information in a service control point and sendingfrom a service control point to a switch at least one service controlpoint control message based on condition information when a switchmessage is received and a condition based on condition information ismet. The stored outbound call rule information includes at least onerule and each rule includes a portion of the action information and aportion of the condition information. The condition information includesat least one condition related to a time or call disposition.

[0048] According to another aspect of the invention, the method includessending from a switch to a service control point a switch message inresponse to a call being placed to a dialed number and receiving by theswitch from the service control point the control message. The methodalso includes initiating by the switch an action based on the actioninformation.

[0049] According to another aspect of the invention, the method mayinclude determining whether at least a portion of a number dialedsatisfies at least one condition of the outbound call rule information.Additionally, the method may include forwarding the call to a numberother than the dialed number based on the action information of theoutbound call rule information. Furthermore, the method may includesubmitting a PIN number based on the action information of the outboundcall rule information. Still further, the method may include sending apage to a paging device based on the action information of the outboundcall rule information. Moreover, the method may include disallowing thecall based on the action information of the subscriber's outbound callrule information. The method may also include prepending at least oneprefix number to a dialed number sequence based on the actioninformation of the outbound call rule information. Furthermore, themethod may include prepending dial-around code information to the dialednumber sequence based on the action information of the outbound callrule information. Moreover, the method may include initiating by theswitch more than one action based on the action information of the rule.Still further, the method may include determining whether callinformation in the switch message satisfies more than one condition ofthe rule. Finally, the method may include determining whether callinformation in the switch message satisfies conditions of more than onerule.

[0050] The various aspects and embodiments of the present invention aredescribed in detail below.

[0051] The Outbound Call Rules Routing System

[0052] The present invention is an AIN based system and method thatallows a subscriber connected to a telecommunications network toconfigure the routing of outbound calls using a web browser.

[0053]FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary telecommunications network inassociation with the present invention for connecting calls andprogramming a service control point (SCP). The system includes a calloriginating user device 100, an originating end office (EO) serviceswitching point (SSP) 101, a signaling transfer point (STP) 102, a SCP103, a terminating EO SSP 104, a called user device 105, a third partydevice 106, a paging system 107, and a pager device 108. The systemfurther includes a web client 109 connected via the Internet 110 to aweb server 111, a service management system (SMS) 112, a servicenode/intelligent peripheral (SN/IP) 113, and an answering service 114.

[0054] By way of example, the user devices 100, 105, and 106 of thepresent invention may be standard telephones. These devices may also bespecial devices used when communicating over facsimile, Central OfficeExchange Service (CENTREX), Direct inward Dial (DID), or Direct OutwardDial (DOD) systems, or any other device used to communicate over atelecommunications system.

[0055] The originating EO 101 is an SSP for the originating user device100 and the terminating EO 104 is an SSP for the called user device 105,third party device 106 and the paging system 107. While the originatingend office 101 and the terminating EO are shown as separate entities,the terminating EO and the originating EO functions may be performed bythe same SSP. The EOs 101 and 104 may include, for example, 5ESSswitches with a minimum switch generic of 5E14 manufactured by LucentTechnologies, Inc.; DMS-100 switches with a minimum switch generic ofNA015 manufactured by Nortel Networks Corporation (Nortel); or EWSDswitches with a minimum switch generic of Release 17 with patch set 170and Release 18 with patch set 29 available from Siemens Information andCommunication Networks, Inc. The switches may utilize an AIN Release 0.1protocol.

[0056] The SCP 103 may be implemented with the Telecordia IntegratedService Control Point, loaded with ISCP software Version 4.4 (orhigher), or may also be implemented using the Telecordia IntegratedService Control Point Current Generation Platform (ISCP)(CGP) withRelease version 5.0.0.13; the ISCP Next Generation Platform (NGP) withRelease version 6.4.2.1; and the Lucent Service Control Point (LSCP)with Release 94 and Service Package available from Telecordia, MurrayHill, N.J. Exemplary service control points also include the ApplicationVersion 6 (SPA V6) or later. The SCP 103 is configured to processtelephone calls, but can also be configured to process facsimile,CENTREX, DID, DOD, and “800” services.

[0057] The call service logic of the present invention may be upgradedto accommodate future AIN releases and protocols and future triggertypes. Specifications of AIN Release 0.1 SSPs may be found in TelecordiaGR-1299-CORE, AIN 0.1 Switch-Service Control Point Application ProtocolInterface Generic Requirements, and Telecordia GR-1298-CORE, AIN 0.1Switching Systems Generic Requirements, the disclosures of which areexpressly incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

[0058] While SCPs are primarily discussed and referred to and shown inone or more of the accompanying drawings, it is noted that an IntegratedService Control Point (ISCP) may be employed as well, and that the termsare used interchangeably herein. It is further noted that SCPs/ISCPs maybe deployed in mated pairs to ensure survivability and reliability ofthe network.

[0059] The interface between the service switching points and theservice control point may be the Telecordia AIN GR-1299, entitled“Switch-Service Control Point (SCP)/Adjunct Interface.” The messagestransmitted between the SSPs 101 and 104 and SCP 103 are all formattedin accordance with the Signaling System 7 (SS7) transaction capabilitiesapplications protocol (TCAP). The STP 102 connects the EOs 101 and 104with the SCP 103. Integrated Services Digital Network User Part (ISUP)signaling is utilized between the SSPs 101 and 104.

[0060] The web client 109 connects to the web server 111 over a networkwhich may be the Internet 110. The web client 109 may be a web browser,for example, residing on a personal computer or any other device thatcan communicate with web server 111. The web client's graphical userinterface (GUI) enables a user to modify SCP outbound routinginformation pertaining to the user. An exemplary GUI is shown in FIG. 3.

[0061] The Internet 110 is a network infrastructure that provides theweb client 109 connectivity to the web server 111. The Internet 110 neednot be the only network through which the web client 109 communicateswith the web server 111. Most networks that can provide the web client109 and web server 111 connectivity to each other could be used in lieuof the Internet 110.

[0062] The web server 111 is connected to a network such as the Internet110 enabling the web client 109 to communicate with the web server 111.The web server 111 is also connected to the SMS 112. The web server 111contains and provides the web pages used by the web client 109 to updatethe outbound routing information stored in the SCP 103.

[0063] The SMS 112 communicates with the SCP 103, web server 111, andSN/IP 113 and enables users to manipulate outbound call routinginformation using a web client 109 connected to the web server 111. TheSMS 112 downloads outbound routing information from the SCP 103 andallows a subscriber with a web client 109 to manipulate an outboundrouting table pertaining to a particular subscriber. Once the subscriberis finished modifying the table, the SMS 112 uploads the table back tothe SCP 103. The SMS may be implemented on a SUN Enterprise 450 serverusing a Solaris 8.0 operating system. Communications between the SMS 112and the web server 111 may utilize CORBA.

[0064] The SN/IP 113 is a system which enables a telecommunicationssystem to interact with various devices such as a messaging system,paging system, or menu driven system. It is connected to the SMS 112 andan EO 101. The SN/IP 113 may be programmed using an SMS 112.

[0065] The answering service 114 may be a service provided by atelecommunications provider or some other third party provider.Moreover, the answering service 112 could simply be an answering machineco-located with the called user device 105.

[0066] SCP OCRR Logic

[0067]FIG. 2 shows an exemplary flow chart of how the OCRR service logicof the SCP 103 routes an outbound call. At step S201, the SCP 103 waitsfor a switch message (e.g., an AIN triggered query). When a trigger isreceived, such as an off-hook delay (OHD) trigger or a customizeddialing plan (CDP) trigger, the SCP 103 determines whether the OCRRservice is to be invoked at step S202. The SCP 103 makes thisdetermination by comparing the current call information conditionsassociated with several call parameters.

[0068] There are three major categories of conditions. First areconditions based on digits the customer dialed using parameters such as:the complete dialed number, number plan area (NPA) number, NPA and NXXprefix number, any other groupings of a dialed number with the form NPANXX-XXXX—where the X represents any digit; and operator numbers (e.g.“0” and “411”). Dialed number parameters also include whether the callis to a local, local toll, or long distance number. Second areconditions based on time using parameters such as: time of day, day ofweek, day of year, and specific date. Third are conditions based on thedisposition of the call using parameters such as: dialed number busy ordisconnected by subscriber or telecommunications system; dialed numbernot answered; and dialed number answered by answering system.

[0069] If the current call information is determined by the SCP 103 tofulfill a condition associated with the subscriber's criteria providedin the SCP 103 outbound routing information, the SCP 103 then implementsan action at steps S202-S212 selected by the subscriber such as: forwarda call to a different number, send a PIN or prompt for a PIN as part ofa call, automatically page a certain number and send a message, disallowa call, or automatically prepend a number sequence such as a 101-XXXXdial-around code; where the X represents any digit.

[0070] The condition and action may be relatively simple as shown by thefollowing logical constructs, for example:

[0071] if the Dialed Number=555550000, then Forward to 5555551111

[0072] if the Time of Day>=7 PM, then Page (5555551111 and Send Message(5555552222)).

[0073] As an example of how flexible the OCRR system is, a subscribermay use wild card variables enabling an action to occur when only aportion of a number is part of the condition. The following is anexample of a logical construct wherein a prompt for a PIN is given bythe OCRR system in response to a called number that matches the pattern555-555-XX5X; where the “X” represents a wild card digit.

[0074] if the Dialed Number is (555555XX5X) then prompt for PIN.

[0075] In another example, a number (555) 555-5555 is either busy,unanswered, or answered by a voice mail system causing a page to be sentto a paging system with a call back number, (666) 666-6666. The pagingsystem in this example does not require a PIN.

[0076] if Dialed Number=555555555 and Disposition=(Busy OR Unanswered ORAnswered By Answering Service) then

[0077] page(5555555555, null, 6666666666).

[0078] Or the condition may be more complex. In the following example, adial-around code, 10-10-555, is to be prepended to a called longdistance number between 7 PM and 6 AM, and the dial-around code,10-10-666, is prepended to a dialed number sequence for calls at othertimes so the call would be handled by a particular long distance serviceat the specified times.

[0079] if Disposition=LongDistance AND Time of Day>7 PM OR Time of Day<6AM then

[0080] PrePend(1010555); else

[0081] PrePend(1010666).

[0082] A graphical user interface (GUI) could allow the input of thissubscriber defined condition using a web client 109. While a GUI may beused by the subscriber, an alternate embodiment could allow a subscriberto provide outbound routing information to the SCP 103 via a scriptinglanguage such as JAVA, PERL, or shell. Scripts allow advanced customersthe complete flexibility of the scripting language to control theiroutbound call routing. The scripts could even be stored locally on thesubscriber's PC to enhance OCRR system updates and the subscriber'sexperience. To accommodate the scripts, the SMS 112 or web server 111can function as a gateway to convert the scripts into a format the SCP103 can process. The scripts can be uploaded to the SMS 112 in many waysincluding the use of the file transfer protocol (FTP) and the web server111 which in turn uploads the converted script information to the SCP103.

[0083] Once a condition has been met and the SCP 103 determines thatoutbound call rules have been triggered at step S202, the SCP 103 checksthe outbound routing information to determine which action was selectedby the subscriber. At step S203, the SCP 103 determines whetherforwarding has been chosen by the subscriber.

[0084] If forwarding has been specified by the subscriber, the SCP 103adds the forwarding number specified by the user to an AIN message atstep 208 instructing the originating EO 101 to complete the call to theforwarding number at step S212. If forwarding has not been specified,the SCP 103 then determines whether a PIN entry activity has beenspecified by the subscriber at step S204.

[0085] If a PIN entry activity has been specified by the subscriber, theSCP 103 adds a PIN prompt command to an AIN message, step S209, andsends the AIN message to the originating EO 101 instructing the EO 101to prompt for a PIN. In this case, a off hook delay trigger may launchan information collect command to the SCP. The SCP after determiningthat a PIN is required, may send a send to resource with an announcementID and request to collect a specified amount of digits from thesubscriber. The calling party then enters their PIN and the serviceswitching point (SSP) returns the results in a resource clear message.The SCP 103 verifies the PIN prior to instructing the EO 101 to completethe call at step S212 using an AIN message, for example, an analyzeroute or continue AIN message. Having the SCP 103 verifying the PINprior to call completion can serve several purposes. For example, asubscriber may wish to restrict calls to certain numbers so that onlythose in a household who know the PIN can complete certain types ofcalls. A common use includes parents preventing children from calling“900” or long distance calls.

[0086] In an alternate embodiment where the called user device 105requires a PIN after call completion (e.g., when using a calling cardfor a long distance service), a SN/IP 113 is used to interact a callingcard platform and provide the PIN. In this case, the call is insteadhandled by the SN/IP 113 after step S209. For example, a call may be toan “800” calling card service or made using a pre-paid service. In sucha case, the calling card company or pre-paid service would then completethe call using the PIN. The SN/IP 113 could prompt the subscriber forthe PIN or the SN/IP could already have the PIN stored and use thestored PIN to interact with the service requiring the PIN. If adding aPIN has not been specified by the subscriber, the SCP 103 thendetermines whether a page activity has been specified by the subscriberat step S205.

[0087] If a paging activity has been specified by the subscriber inresponse to, for example, an originating called party busy trigger or anoriginating no answer trigger, the SCP 103 adds a pager number to aSN/IP bound message, step S210, and sends the message, for example,including the pager number, PIN, and pager company, to the SN/IP 113using a communications protocol such as TCP/IP with instruction tointeract with the paging system 107. This may occur while the callingparty is still waiting for the called party to answer. Alternatively,the message or alternate message including a text message could be sentfrom the SCP 103 to the SN/IP 113, from the SCP 103 to the paging system107, or SN/IP 113 to the paging system 107 using E-mail. Any othersystem capable of forwarding text pages could also receive a messagefrom the SCP 103. If paging was not specified by the subscriber, the SCP103 then determines whether a dialing prefix was selected (e.g.,dial-around number for a particular long distance access) at step S206.

[0088] If a prefix prepend activity has been specified by thesubscriber, the SCP 103 adds a prefix number (e.g., dial-around number)to an AIN message, step S211, and sends the AIN message to theoriginating EO 101 with instruction to complete the call, at step S212.If a prepend prefix activity was not specified by the subscriber, theSCP 103 then determines whether a disallow activity was selected (e.g.blocking of long distance calls) at step S207.

[0089] If a disallow activity has been specified by the subscriber, theSCP 103 then advances to S216 to discontinue the call. If a disallowactivity was not specified by the subscriber, the SCP 103 then advancesto step S212; instructing the originating EO 101 to complete the call atstep S212.

[0090] If, after step S212, the SCP 103 determines, at step S213, that acalled device is busy, does not answer, or is answered by an answeringsystem, the SCP 103 then again determines whether the OCRR service is tobe invoked at step S202 and the process begins again. If, at step S213,the SCP 103 determines that a called device is answered (not by ananswering machine) the OCRR service does nothing to interrupt the callor interfere with the call's natural progression to termination and theOCRR process ends at step S215.

[0091] In a further embodiment, the SCP 103 can make the determinationthat a call is answered based on a termination notification sent to theSCP 103. The termination notification may be generated after a sendnotification message is sent with a continue or analyze route message.Once this is done and the call is answered, a termination notificationis sent to the SCP 103 to inform it that the call was answered.Alternatively, if a message is not received by the SCP 103 indicatingbusy or no answer, the SCP 103 may determine that a call was answered.

[0092] In an alternative embodiment more activities may occur, forexample call logging could occur recording information relating to thedisposition of a call. Moreover, in a further embodiment multipleactions could occur, for example, forwarding and logging could both beactions that occur for a given call.

[0093] The previous description of the OCRR logic flow of FIG. 2 isexemplary, but variations of the logic flow can occur without changingthe function of the OCRR service. For example, steps S202-S207 can occurin any order. Moreover, if a condition is not associated with an action,a default action may occur, or the OCRR service may give a command tothe originating EO 101 to terminate the call.

[0094] Subscriber Graphical User Interface

[0095] An exemplary GUI enabling a subscriber to enter conditions andactions into the OCRR system using a web client 109 is shown in FIG. 3.The OCRR system executes rules by performing actions when a condition ismet. As shown in FIG. 3, a GUI allowing the input of a condition mayinclude a variable type field 300, equality operator 301, variable inputfield 302, and logical operator 303. The GUI may also allow the input ofa rule including an action that is to occur when the condition is met.An action input may include an action field 304, an action type field305, an action input field 306, and a conditional operator 307. The GUImay be implemented using a web client, electronic mail system (e.g.Microsoft Outlook), or any other medium through which a GUI can bepresented.

[0096] Entry into these fields creates a conditional statement andaction statement. For example, if “Dialed Number” is entered in thevariable type field 300, “=” is the selected equality operator 301,“Long Distance” is entered in the variable input field 302, “Prepend” isentered in the action field 304, “Dial-around code” is entered in theaction type field 305, “1010555” is entered in the action input field306, a logical construct is formed. The rule formed in the exampleincludes a condition statement, “if the dialed number is a long distancenumber”, and an action statement, “then prepend the dial-around code1010555”. In this case, the dial-around code is prepended to the dialednumber sequence when the condition is met. The rule in this example useda simple logical construct to form the condition statement, however,more complex variations can be created using logical operator 303 andconditional operator 307 as shown in FIG. 3.

[0097] The variable type field 300 may be a pull-down menu with thefollowing variable types: Number Dialed, NPA Dialed, NPA/NXX Dialed,Time of Day, Day of Week, Day of Year, Specific Date, or CallDisposition. The “Number Dialed” entry is the number that a subscribermay dial. This number may consist entirely of digits, or it may includewild card characters. The “NPA Dialed Number” is the dialed numberingplan area number, sometimes known as an area code. The “NPA/NXX Dialed”entry refers to the numbering plan area number dialed and the NXX refersto a prefix number dialed. For example, given a dialed number (555)551-5522, the digits “555” are the NPA and the digits “551” are the NXXnumber. The “Time of Day”, “Day of Week”, and “Day of Year” entriesrefer to the time of day, day of week, and day of year, respectively,when a number is dialed. The “Call Disposition” entry refers to thestatus of the call such as call busy or disconnected, call not answered,call answered but not by an answering machine, or call answered byanswering service.

[0098] The equality operator 301 may include the following symbolicoperators: =, <, >, <>, <=, and <=; the symbols meaning “equal to”,“less than”, “greater than”, “not equal to”, “greater than or equal to”,and “less than or equal to”, respectively.

[0099] The variable input field 302 is an input field that allows asubscriber to input information in a format acceptable for the variabletype field 300 and equality operator 301 chosen by the subscriber. Forexample, if “Dialed Number” is selected as the variable type and “=” isthe equality operator, a telephone number or terms such as “Local”,“Local Toll”, or “Long Distance” may be input into the variable inputfield 302. In another example, if “Day of Week” is selected as thevariable type, then Sunday through Monday may be input, whereas 7 PM ora telephone number are of improper format and may not be input. In afurther example, if “Call Disposition” is selected as the variable typeand “=” is the equality operator, a entry of The “Call Disposition”entry of “Busy”, “Disconnected”, “Not Answered”, or “Answered ByService” may be input into the variable input field 302 while atelephone number may not be input.

[0100] The logical operator field 303 may be implemented using apull-down menu as in FIG. 3. The logical operator 303 pull-down menu mayinclude the following logical operators: “AND”, “OR”, and “NOT”. Theseoperators allow the subscriber to create complex logical conditions.

[0101] The action field 304 includes the actions a subscriber may choosethe OCRR service to implement once the subscriber's conditions are met.The action field 304 may be implemented using a pull-down menu, as shownin FIG. 3. The action field 304 pull-down menu may include the followingactions: “Forward”, “PIN Entry”, “Page”, “Disallow”, and “Prepend”. A“Forward” selection indicates a call is to be forwarded to the numberdesignated in the action input field 306. A “PIN Entry” selectionindicates that a pin entry is to be sent to the device designated in theaction input field 306. The “Page” entry indicates that a page with anoptional message is to be sent to the paging system designated in theaction input field 306. A “Disallow” selection indicates the call is tobe terminated and that a data in the action input field 306 is notrequired. A “Prepend” selection indicates the information in the actioninput field 306 or a translation of the information (e.g., a dial-aroundcode may be translated into information including more than onecomponent such as carrierID=0220 and CarrierSelection=00000100) is to beprepended to the dialed number sequence or made part of the callinginstruction. In a prepend operation, the information in the input fieldmay be a dial around code, a series of numbers such as an “800” numberfollowed by a calling card number or other information that may assistin making a call.

[0102] The action type field 305 may be implemented using a pull-downmenu as shown in FIG. 3. The action type field 305 may include thefollowing entries: “Dial-around Code”, “Number”, “PIN”, and “Number andMessage”. These entries indicate what type of input is expected in theaction input field 306.

[0103] The action input field 306 may be implemented as a data entryfield as shown in FIG. 3. The action input field 306 allows a subscriberto enter information in a format corresponding to the action type. Forexample, if action is “Page” and the action type is “Number andMessage”, an action input field 306 entry of “(555) 555-5555, call me at(555) 555-2222” may be entered to reflect a page to (555) 555-5555 withinstructions to send “call me at (555) 555-2222” to a paging device 108.

[0104] The condition operator 307 may be implemented using a pull-downmenu as in FIG. 3. The logical operator 307 pull-down menu may includean “ELSE” operator and an “AND” operator. These operators allow thesubscriber to create complex actions. If an “ELSE” statement is entered,an alternate action may be executed if the condition of the rule is notmet. Moreover, the “ELSE” operator may be implemented using a pointer toanother rule using, for example, a sequence number so that a subscribermay chain rules to form nested rule statements. If an “AND” operator isselected, multiple actions may occur, where reasonable, when thecondition of the rule is met. For example, a subscriber could entermultiple page action commands to page a pool of numbers.

[0105] A property of the OCRR service is that rules have priority based,generally, on the order they are placed within the SCP 103. Rules thatact based on a disposition (e.g. a terminating device is busy,unanswered, or answered by an answering service) are processed onlyafter non-disposition rules. Rules will be processed until there are nomore rules to process, unless, one of the actions taken on a rule whosecondition was met is terminal (e.g., disallow a call or forward a call).Moreover, while the OCRR service may include rules based on anycombination of numbers dialed, an originating EO 101 may include specialrouting such that certain numbers are not processed by the OCRR service.For example, calls to an information service (e.g., “411” service) maybe processed by the OCRR service, while calls to an emergency service(e.g., “911” service) may not be processed by the OCRR service.

[0106] Another embodiment of the OCRR service may also include a loggingsystem such as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/985,244entitled “Call Management Reports” to TILIKS et al. The logging mayinclude information related to the disposition of a call. For example,call information related to a call that was busy including the numberdialed, time, and date.

[0107] Outbound Call Rules Routing

[0108] A further embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 4.FIG. 4 is an exemplary call flow diagram showing a forwarded call. Inthis embodiment, an originating caller uses an originating user device100 and places a call, step S400, to a called user's device 105. Thecall triggers in the originating EO 101, sending an AIN query to theoutbound call rules routing (OCRR) service logic of the SCP 103 at stepS401. Exemplary triggers for outgoing calls could be either a customizeddialing plan (CDP) or Off Hook Delay (OHD) trigger. After executing theservice logic in the SCP 103, an AIN message, send notification with aforwarding number for the third party device 106 is sent from the SCP103 to the originator's EO 101 at step S402.

[0109] The originating end office 101 then attempts to connect theoriginating user device 100 to the third party device 106 by contactingthe terminating end office 104 at step S403. The terminating end office104 then attempts to connect the third party device 106 at step S404.When the third party device 106 is answered, the call between theoriginating user device 100 and the third party device 106 is connectedat step S405.

[0110] A further embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 5.FIG. 5 is an exemplary call flow diagram showing a call forwarded whenit is determined that the call is busy. In this embodiment, asubscriber's originating user device 100 places a call to a calleduser's device 105 at step S500. The call triggers in the originator's EO101 sending an AIN query to the OCRR service logic of the SCP 103 atstep S501. After executing the service logic, the SCP 103 sends an AINmessage, e.g., send notification message, to the originator's EO 101instructing the originating EO 101 to connect to the called user's EO104 at step S502.

[0111] After the subscribing originating user device 100 connects withthe terminating EO 104 at step S503 and the called user device 105 isbusy, as is well known in the art, the terminating EO 104 sends an SS7IAM with cause indicator of user busy to the originator's EO 101 at stepS504 to let the originating caller and originating end office 101 knowthe line is busy. In Step S504, the busy indicator may also be generatedand sent by any other network device between the originator's EO 101 andthe terminating EO 104 to indicate that the call cannot be completed.The originating EO 101 then sends an AIN message, such as originatingcalled party busy trigger information, to the SCP 103 at step S505. Theecho data functionality of the AIN message, e.g., the originating userdevice 100 number and the called user device 105, are used by the OCRRservice logic to determine what to do next. The AIN message alsoincludes information that notifies the OCRR logic of the SCP 103 thatthe called user device 105 was busy. Once the SCP 103 determines thatthe call should be forwarded to the third party device 106, the SCP 103sends an AIN message, e.g., analyze route notification with theforwarding number for the third party device 106, to the originating endoffice 101 at step S506.

[0112] The originating end office 101 then attempts to connect theoriginating user device 100 to the third party device 106 by contactingthe terminating end office 104 at step S507. The terminating end office104 then attempts to connect to the third party device 106 at step S508.When the third party device 106 is answered, the call between theoriginating user device 100 and the third party device 106 is connectedat step S509.

[0113] A further embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 6.FIG. 6 is an exemplary call flow diagram showing a call including eithera dial-around code, or other input combination. In this embodiment, anoriginating caller uses an originating user device 100 and places acall, step S600, to a called user's device 105. The call triggers in theoriginating EO 101, sending an AIN query to the OCRR service logic ofthe SCP 103 at step S601. An AIN message, e.g., analyze routenotification, is sent with dial-around code information to theoriginator's EO 101 at step S602. In this case, a carrier parameter mayneed to be modified so that the end result is as if the subscriberpicked up their phone and dialed the dial-around code just prior to thecalled party's number. For this to occur, the carrier parameter istypically divided into two fields, carrier ID and carrier selection. Anexemplary communications flow could be an info collect message from theoriginating EO 101 to the SCP 103 such that the called partyID=“5555555555”.

[0114] The originating end office 101 then attempts to connect theoriginating user device 100 to the called user's device 105 bycontacting the terminating end office 104 at step 603. In the case thata dial-around number is used (e.g., a long distance service accessnumber), the dial-around number is first invoked by the originating endoffice 101 to execute the dial-around. To simulate the calling partydialing the dial-around code, “1010-220”, an analyze route responsemessage from the SCP 103 to the originating EO 101 may include thecalled party ID =“5555555555” with a carrier ID=“0220”, and a carrierselecetion=“00000100”. The terminating end office 104 then attempts toconnect to the called user's device 105 at step S604. When the calleduser's device 105 is answered, the call between the originating userdevice 100 and the called user's device 105 is connected at step S605.The SCP logic is further described with respect to FIG. 2.

[0115] To prepend other numbers like an area code, an info collectmessage may be used where a called party ID=“6666666”. Based on asubscriber's rule, the subscriber may have directed a “666” be prependedto the number. In this case, the called party ID is simply modified tobe “6666666666” in an analyze route response message from the SCP 103 tothe originating EO 101.

[0116] A further embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 7.FIG. 7 is an exemplary call flow diagram showing a paging system beinginvoked when a call initiated by the originating user device 100 to acalled user device 105 is unanswered. In this embodiment, a subscriber'soriginating user device 100 places a call to a called user's device 105at step S700. The call triggers in the originator's EO 101 sending anAIN query, e.g., off hook delay/info collect message, to the OCRRservice logic of the SCP 103 at step S701. An AIN message, e.g.,continue, is then sent from the SCP 103 to the originator's EO 101 atstep S702 which in turn contacts the terminating end office 104 tofurther the call connection at steps S703 and S704.

[0117] After the subscribing originating user device 100 contacts thecalled user's device 105 at step S704, the called party does not answer,and a preset time in an EO 101 timer expires, the originator's EO 101sends an AIN message, such as a originating no answer query, to the SCP103 at step S705.

[0118] Subsequently, the SCP 103 determines the telephone number of thepaging system 107 and any message designated by the subscriber to thepaging device (e.g., the originating user device number) and forwardsthe information to the SN/IP 113 at step S706 using a communicationsprotocol such as TCP/IP. An AIN message is then sent from the SCP 103 tothe originating EO 101 instructing the EO 101 to continue at step S707;at this point the calling party may continue to hear ringing and thecalled party's line may continue to ring. The SN/IP 113 then attempts tocall the paging system 107 at step S708; the SN/IP 113 may or may notoutput a message (e.g., a PIN) to the paging system 107 at this timedepending on SCP 103 instruction which is based on subscriber rules. Thepaging system 107 then connects to the pager device 108 to complete thepage and transmits any message from the applicable subscriber's rule atstep S709.

[0119] A further embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 8.FIG. 8 is an exemplary call flow diagram showing a prompt for a PIN whena call initiated by the originating user device 100 to a called userdevice 105 requires a PIN. In this embodiment, a subscriber'soriginating user device 100 places a call to a called user's device 105at step S800. The call triggers in the originator's EO 101 sending anAIN query (e.g., off hook delay—information collect message) to the OCRRservice logic of the SCP 103 at step S801. When the SCP 103 determinesthat the subscriber has designated the called number as requiring a PIN,the SCP 103 sends an AIN message (e.g., send to resource, playannouncement, and collect digits) to the originating EO 101, step S802,which in turn prompts the subscriber for a PIN. Once a PIN is entered bythe subscriber, it is sent to originating EO 101 which in turn sends AINmessage (e.g., resource clear with digits entered) to the SCP 103 atstep S803. The SCP 103 then determines if the PIN is correct and, if so,sends an AIN message instructing the originating EO 101 to complete thecall at step S804. The call then continues as normal, wherein, theoriginating EO 101 connects to the terminating EO 104, step S805, andthe terminating EO connects to the called user device 105, step S806.Thus, the connection is provided between the originating user device 100and the called user device at step S807. An alternative embodiment couldbe implemented using the SN/IP 113 to provide PINs or other more complexaccess entries and interactions to gain access to a called party'sresource.

[0120] A further embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 9.FIG. 9 is an exemplary call flow diagram showing an answering systembeing accessed and causing the OCRR service to forward the call to athird party device 106. In this embodiment, a subscriber's originatinguser device 100 places a call to a called user's device 105 at stepS900. The call triggers in the originator's EO 101 sending an AIN queryto the OCRR service logic of the SCP 103 at step S901. In this example,the SCP 103 determines that, based on the call information, a rule isapplicable that includes a condition including a call disposition wherean answering system is reached. In this case, the SCP 103 determinesthat it should hand the call off to the SN/IP 113 to determine if ananswering machine is actually reached. An AIN message, e.g., analyzeroute, is then sent to the originator's EO 101, step S902, which in turncontacts the SN/IP 113 at step S903 to continue the call. When thecalled user device 105 is contacted, step S904, and either the calleduser device 105 or terminating EO 104 determines that the call should berouted to an answering service, the SN/IP 113 then connects to theanswering service 114 at step S905. The SN/IP 113 then determineswhether an answering service 114 is actually reached by listening toresponses from the answering service 114 at step S906. If the SN/IPdetermines that it is indeed connected to an answering service (e.g., ithears more than 5 seconds of speech or a specified DTMF tone), it thenterminates the call to the answering service, step S907. The SN/IP 113,then connects the caller to a third party device 106 as determined bythe subscriber's applicable rule at steps S908 and S909. The SN/IP 113,having bridged the connection between the originating user device 100and called user device 105, is enabled to determine how to execute asubscriber's rule by either having access to the subscriber's outboundcall rule information or the pertinent information may be transmittedfrom the SCP 103 over a TCP/IP connection to the SN/IP 113 via a message(e.g., analyze route message).

[0121] A further embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 10showing an exemplary call flow for a subscriber updating the SCP OCRRinformation according to an aspect of the present invention. At stepS1000, the subscriber connects from the web client 109 to the web server111 through a network such as the Internet 110. The web server 111 thenconnects to the SMS 112, which stores and updates the OCRR data, at stepS1001. Once connected to the SMS 112 via the web server 111, thesubscriber must be authenticated to access the corresponding serviceaccount. The SMS 112 queries the subscriber for authentication data,which may include an account number and an associated account accessPIN, via the web server 111 at steps S1002 and S1003.

[0122] The subscriber authentication responses are received at the webserver 111 at step S1004 and forwarded to the SMS 112 for authenticationat step S1005. Alternatively, web server 111 may perform theauthentication step based on information sent from the SMS 112. The SMS112 retrieves the account number and associated account access PIN toconfirm that the subscriber is authorized to access the accountinformation.

[0123] After a successful authentication, the SMS 112 queries the SCP103 to retrieve the data associated with the subscriber's OCRR serviceaccount at step S1006. The SCP 103 then retrieves the outbound callrouting information and sends it to the SMS 112 at step S1007. In anembodiment of the invention, the SMS 112 maintains a database of all ofthe OCRR service data related to each subscriber, and merely updates thedata from SCP 103 during each interaction. Alternatively, the SCP 103periodically transmits all OCRR service data related to each subscriberregardless of whether the subscribers have actually requested theirrespective account data from the SMS 112. The SMS 112 would then be ableto provide the subscriber with relatively recent data without performingsteps S1006 and S1007, which saves additional processing by the SCP 23.Steps S1006 and S1007 would be performed only when the subscriberspecifically requests the most recent data or real time interaction,discussed below.

[0124] Once the SMS 112 has the call monitoring service data related tothe subscriber's account, an interactive connection is maintained atstep S1008 among the SMS 112, the web server 111 and the web client 109.For example, the web server 111 receives HTTP messages from thesubscriber at web client 109 and provides HTML web pages in response tothe subscriber's input. The web pages relate to the subscriber's OCRRservice, as indicated by the SMS 112. Whenever the subscriber confirmsan order to change their rule information, the SMS 112 automaticallyupdates the SCP 103 at step S1009 with the updated information providedby the subscriber. The SMS 112 may also provide updated information tothe SCP 103 while the subscriber is still on-line, either periodicallyor in response to a specific command by the subscriber to do so. The SCP103 stores the updated information received from the SMS 112 forimmediate implementation in the PSTN. The SMS 112 may also be used toupdate the SN/IP 113 in a similar way.

[0125] The invention uses switch triggers, throughout, to determinewhether a condition has been met. Further, actions can be carried out insome cases by using standard AIN responses to these triggers (e.g.,Analyze Route trigger to forward a call, Disconnect trigger to disallowa call, Send To Resource trigger to prompt for a pin); others can becarried out by an adjunct such as a SN/IP, which can be contacted to beinformed what to do (e.g., page a number with specified digits).

[0126] Although the invention has been described with reference toseveral exemplary embodiments, it is understood that the words that havebeen used are words of description and illustration, rather than wordsof limitation. Changes may be made within the purview of the appendedclaims, as presently stated and as amended, without departing from thescope and spirit of the invention in its aspects. Although the inventionhas been described with reference to particular means, materials andembodiments, the invention is not intended to be limited to theparticulars disclosed; rather, the invention extends to all functionallyequivalent structures, methods, and uses such as are within the scope ofthe appended claims.

[0127] In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention,the methods described herein are intended for operation as softwareprograms running on a computer processor. Dedicated hardwareimplementations including, but not limited to, application specificintegrated circuits, programmable logic arrays and other hardwaredevices can likewise be constructed to implement the methods describedherein. Furthermore, alternative software implementations including, butnot limited to, distributed processing or component/object distributedprocessing, parallel processing, or virtual machine processing can alsobe constructed to implement the methods described herein.

[0128] It should also be noted that the software implementations of thepresent invention as described herein are optionally stored on atangible storage medium, such as: a magnetic medium such as a disk ortape; a magneto-optical or optical medium such as a disk; or a solidstate medium such as a memory card or other package that houses one ormore read-only (non-volatile) memories, random access memories, or otherre-writable (volatile) memories. A digital file attachment to e-mail orother self-contained information archive or set of archives isconsidered a distribution medium equivalent to a tangible storagemedium. Accordingly, the invention is considered to include a tangiblestorage medium or distribution medium, as listed herein and includingart-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which the softwareimplementations herein are stored.

[0129] Although the present specification describes components andfunctions implemented in the embodiments with reference to particularstandards and protocols, the invention is not limited to such standardsand protocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packetswitched network transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP)represent examples of the state of the art. Such standards areperiodically superseded by faster or more efficient equivalents havingessentially the same functions. Accordingly, replacement standards andprotocols having the same functions are considered equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system that performs outbound call controlusing a subscriber's outbound call rule information comprising: aservice control point that receives and stores the outbound call ruleinformation and sends at least one service control point control messagebased on action information when a switch message is received and acondition based on condition information is met, wherein, the storedoutbound call rule information is configurable by a subscriber and iscomprised of at least one rule, wherein, each rule is comprised of aportion of the action information and a portion of the conditioninformation and, wherein, the condition information comprises at leastone condition related to a time, a date, or a call disposition; and aswitch that sends the switch message in response to a call being placedto a dialed number, receives the service control point control message,and initiates an action based on the action information.
 2. The systemof claim 1 that performs outbound call control using the subscriber'soutbound call rule information, wherein, the condition informationfurther comprises at least one condition related to at least a portionof the dialed number.
 3. The system of claim 2 that performs outboundcall control using the subscriber's outbound call rule information,wherein, the action information comprises information related toforwarding the call to a number other than the dialed number.
 4. Thesystem of claim 2 that performs outbound call control using thesubscriber's outbound call rule information, wherein, the actioninformation comprises information related to submitting a PIN number. 5.The system of claim 2 that performs outbound call control using thesubscriber's outbound call rule information, wherein, the actioninformation comprises information related to sending a page to a pagingdevice.
 6. The system of claim 2 that performs outbound call controlusing the subscriber's outbound call rule information, wherein, theaction information comprises information related to disallowing thecall.
 7. The system of claim 2 that performs outbound call control usingthe subscriber's outbound call rule information, wherein, the actioninformation comprises information related to prepending at least oneprefix number to a dialed number sequence.
 8. The system of claim 2 thatperforms outbound call control using the subscriber's outbound call ruleinformation, the action information further comprising a dial-aroundcode, the action further comprising routing the call via a carrierassociated with the dial-around code.
 9. The system of claim 2 thatperforms outbound call control using the subscriber's outbound call ruleinformation wherein at least one rule comprises a plurality of actions.10. The system of claim 1 that performs outbound call control using thesubscriber's outbound call rule information wherein at least one rulecomprises a plurality of conditions.
 11. The system of claim 1 thatperforms outbound call control using the subscriber's outbound call ruleinformation wherein the outbound call rule information comprises aplurality of rules.
 12. A method that performs outbound call controlusing a subscriber's outbound call rule information comprising:receiving outbound call rule information configured by a subscriber;storing the outbound call rule information in a service control point;sending from a service control point to a switch at least one servicecontrol point control message based on condition information when aswitch message is received and a condition based on conditioninformation is met, the stored outbound call rule information comprisingat least one rule, each rule comprising a portion of the actioninformation and a portion of the condition information and, thecondition information comprises at least one condition related to a timeor call disposition.
 13. The method of claim 12 that performs outboundcall control using the subscriber's outbound call rule informationfurther comprising: sending from a switch to a service control point theswitch message in response to a call being placed to a dialed number;receiving by the switch from the service control point the controlmessage; and initiating by the switch an action based on the actioninformation.
 14. The method of claim 13 that performs outbound callcontrol using the subscriber's outbound call rule information furthercomprising: determining whether at least a portion of a number dialedsatisfies at least one condition of the outbound call rule information.15. The method of claim of claim 14 that performs outbound call controlusing the subscriber's outbound call rule information furthercomprising: forwarding the call to a number other than the dialed numberbased on the action information of the outbound call rule information.16. The method of claim of claim 14 that performs outbound call controlusing the subscriber's outbound call rule information furthercomprising: submitting a PIN number based on the action information ofthe outbound call rule information.
 17. The method of claim of claim 14that performs outbound call control using the subscriber's outbound callrule information further comprising: sending a page to a paging devicebased on the action information of the outbound call rule information.18. The method of claim of claim 14 that performs outbound call controlusing the subscriber's rule further comprising: disallowing the callbased on the action information of the subscriber's outbound call ruleinformation.
 19. The method of claim of claim 14 that performs outboundcall control using the subscriber's outbound call rule informationfurther comprising: prepending at least one prefix number to a dialednumber sequence based on the action information of the outbound callrule information.
 20. The method of claim 13 that performs outbound callcontrol using the subscriber's rule information, wherein the the actioninformation further comprises a dial-around code, and wherein theinitiating further comprises routing the call via a carrier associatedwith the dial-around code.
 21. The method of claim of claim 12 thatperforms outbound call control using the subscriber's outbound call ruleinformation further comprising: initiating by the switch a plurality ofactions based on the action information of the rule.
 22. The method ofclaim of claim 13 that performs outbound call control using thesubscriber's outbound call rule information further comprising:determining whether call information in the switch message satisfies aplurality of conditions of the rule.
 23. The method of claim of claim 13that performs outbound call control using the subscriber's rule furthercomprising: determining whether call information in the switch messagesatisfies conditions of a plurality of rules.